Lubi Thomas is an experienced curator and producer working in the fields of digital/new media arts, placemaking and STEAM. In the past decade, she has developed and delivered an extensive range of exhibitions, projects, festivals, symposia, residencies and mentoring programs, as well as, public and education focused programming across a range of sites and institutions. Site-responsively is a key element in her practice, working closely with site stakeholders, artists, creative technologists and their collaborators to produce well-presented works and cultural experiences for a variety of audiences. A key element to her practice is the strategic development work developing engagement centric programming frameworks and reporting matrices that reflect a location’s purpose and it’s associated communities-of- interest.
Lubi has developed exhibition and engagement programs for The Cube Brisbane, Creative Industries Precinct QUT, Qld State Library, Urban Screen Productions and Experimenta, and toured shows nationally and internationally to China, Japan, Europe and the UK. Lubi consults locally, nationally and internationally across a range of cultural engagement areas.
1990 – 92 Fine Art Hons, Newport College of Art, Newport, Gwent, UK
2003 – 06 Fine Art BA – distinction, QUT, Brisbane, QLD.
2015 – Masters Creative Industries (research) Curating in Unchartered Territories, QUT, Brisbane, QLD.
CURRENT PROJECTS
RefugeTV – Humanitarian project
Experimenta Triennial
Femel_Fissions: Art, Science and Women.
Confluence – symposium
Brisbane Street Art Festival – ReForm: Art in Public Spaces
Digital Publics – Symposium, Boston
COMPLETED PROJECTS
2016
Shape to Things to Come – The Anniversary Show.
2015
X Communicate symposium – Vivid Ideas, Sydney
2015 Beijing International Media Architecture Summit – Key Note presentation
Move-On: European Media Artists in Residence Exchange
Ars Electronica International Residency Network
Associate Curator – Experimenta – Recharge
A New Aesthetic?
2014
The Cube cultural program
Ars Electronica – Futurelab Academy
Move-On: European Media Artists in Residence Exchange
The Cube Production Residency Program – Digital Writing Residency
Ars Electronica International Residency Network
Associate Curator – Experimenta – Recharge
Creative Industries Precinct cultural program
Antimation
Parer Place Project screening program
2013
The Cube Cultural program
Ars Electronica – Futurelab Academy
The Cube Production Residency Program – Digital Writing Residency
Creative Industries Precinct cultural program
Parer Place Project screening program
IDAProjects: Sans Faute
Self-discipline and Speculation, Beijing Film Academy International New Media Arts Triennial
The Games of Art
Datascape
Parer Place Project screening program
The Planets – Willoughby Symphony, Sydney
2012
The Cube cultural program
Creative Industries Precinct cultural program
Parer Place Project screening program
Messages for our Future – Tohoku Japan
ARI at the block – inbetweenspaces
Parallel Universes: 1970 – 1985
Making the green one red (Virtual Macbeth) – stage 2
Parer Place Project screening program
QUT Billboard commissioning program
2011
Making the green one red (Virtual Macbeth) – stage 1
IDAProjects – The Joy of Loss
ARI Program – Grid North by Boxcopy.
Remoteness – co-curated by Matthew Perkins & Dr. Elaine Miles.
Shape of things to come – Close In
Big Eye: Aboriginal Animation touring program – co-curated with CyberTribe
Machinima touring program.
Parer Place Project screening program
Creative Industries Precinct cultural program
QUT Billboard commissioning program
2010
Semiotics At Play: the otherness and the togetherness
Les Fresnoy – Panorama co-curated with Pascale Ponnier
Linear Progression
Machinima
Face to Face – d/Lux/MediaArts touring exhibition.
KGUV Screens Network
Parer Place Project screening program
International Media Arts Festival
Creative Industries Precinct cultural program
2009
LAND – co-presented with FACT Liverpool
Mellifera – co-presented with Dr Trish Adams & Dr Andrew Burrell
IDAProjects: Transverse – national and international Touring program
Big Eye: Aboriginal Animations, co curated with CyberTribe
Artist V Hollywood international touring program
Parer Place Project screening program
Creative Industries Precinct cultural program
2008
Artist V Hollywood – co-curated with Dr Joanna Callaghan, UK
IDAprojects – VT2
IDAprojects – The Vernacular Terrain national and international Touring program
The SHAPE of things to come – Body +.
Parer Place Project screening program
Creative Industries Precinct cultural program
2007
Scope
IDAprojects – The Vernacular Terrain national and international Touring program
IDAprojects – The Vernacular Terrain
IDAprojects – The Vernacular Terrain Preview Japan
The Shape of Things to come
2006
Re-Active
Video Works – QUT Art Museum
Jemima Wyman: survey of video works from the past 10 Years.
International Digital Art Awards
The Harries National Digital Arts Award
Parer Place – Fluidity – video works
IDA Beijing 2006 and the Harries International Digital Arts Award
PRESENTATIONS & PUBLICATIONS
2016
Guest lecture – Queensland Academy Creative Industries, Brisbane.
2015
Conference presentation – Werkleitz Festival, Halle Germany.
Panel discussion – Experimenta Recharge.
Chair – New Aesthetic opening event panel discussion.
Keynote – Beijing International Media Architecture Summit. Digital Placemaking – the intersect of Art, Culture & Community.
2014
Conference presentation – International Teaching Artists Conference – Thinking outside the box, whilst inside the
Cube: public and education engagement programming.
Symposium presentation – Xcommunicate: Thinking inside the Cube.
Contributing Author: Sans Faute Catalogue published by IDAProjects.
Conference presentation – Ars Electronica Festival: What it takes to Change conference – Residency and open pathways.
Conference presentation – Ars Electronica Festival: What it takes to Change conference – Ars Electronica.
Academy & Trans-disciplinary projects.
Exhibition Floor Brochure: Antimation (co-author).
2013
Conference presentation – TEDXQUT: Cooking with STEAM.
Conference presentation – Ars Electronica – A Worldwide Residency Network – The Cube.
Conference presentation – ISEA – Resistance is Futile (panel): Curating and collecting the new.
Exhibition Floor Brochure: DataScape, The Games of Art, Sans Faute, Shape of Things to Come 7UP (co-author).
2012
Plenary Keynote – TechNet 2012 Conference: Art is a language of Ideas.
Conference presentation – Freeplay 2012 Conference: Games and Art.
The Sixth 48 Hour Game Making Challenge – Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi.
Exhibition Floor Brochure: Making the red one green, I’m Yours Be Mine.
2011
Lecture – UniCA santa cruz. Digital media curatorship.
Panel presentation – Game Connect Asia Pacific Conference, Melbourne – Journeys with Friends.
Conference presentation – Freeplay 2011 Conference (panel): Indies, academics and institutions.
Conference presentation – Freeplay 2011 Conference: That one piece of advice – Turner, Jane & Thomas, Lubi.
Contributing Author: Jams, jelly beans & the fruits of passion – art book (26 Pgs) – Turner, Jane & Thomas, Lubi.
Contributing Author: IGDA Perspective May 2011: Apres le deluge – The Brisbane [Briz-lantis] story – Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi.
The Fifth 48 Hour Game Making Challenge – Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi.
2010
Contributing Author: Creative Industries – published by QUT.
Conference presentation – Game Connect Asia Pacific Conference: Jams, jellybeans and the fruits of passion –
Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi.
Contributing Author: The 48 hour game making challenge: Jams, jellybeans and the fruits of passion.
Contributing Author: 48 Hour Game Making Challenge – In Progress [Four Episodes] – Turner, Jane (Truna), Thomas, Lubi, & Owen, Cameron.
Contributing Author: The vernacular terrain: Songzhang Art Museum, Beijing, China. Thomas, Lubi, Danzig,
Stephen, Milton Hampe, Benjamin, & Li , Xian Ting.
2009
Contributing Author: 48 hour game making challenge – Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi.
Contributing Author: Studio Game On – Turner, Jane (Truna) & Thomas, Lubi.
2008
Contributing Author: International Digital Art Projects ISBN: 978-0-646-48584-3.
Guest Speaker – Queensland Academy of Creative Industries Curating in the 21st Centur.y
Presentation – Curating and Exhibition Design – QUT brisbane Qld.
Contributing Author: Subtext : Anything but Run of the Mill – McKelvey, Bridgette, Thomas, Lubi, & Klaebe, Helen.
2007
Lecture – QUT brisbane Qld Curating and ‘the Shape of things to come’.
Keynote – Queensland Independent School Art and Design Award night – Creativity of the future.
Lecture – QUT brisbane Qld Interactivity off the screen.
Contributing Author: In Interaction – Thomas, Lubi & Danzig, Stephen.
2006
Lecture – Beijing Film Academy Beijing China – Curatorship and collaborative arts practice.
CONSULTANCY & PROFESSIONAL ROLES:
2016
Consultancies:
Bowerbird Creative Programs
BrIDGA (Game On Program)
Curator @ large – Experimenta
2015
Consultancies:
Bowerbird Creative Programs
BrIDGA (Game On Program)
UTV & audience
Judge – Sunshine Coast Digital Art Award
Curatorial Advisor – Metro Arts, Brisbane
Peer advisor – Australian Council for the Arts – Six-year funding experimental & emerging arts sector
2014
Curatorial Advisor – Metro Arts, Brisbane
QUT Advisory Board Member – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education and Portal Project
Peer advisor – Australia Council for the Arts – Visual Arts Board
2013
QUT Advisory Board Member – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education and Portal Project
Consultancy – Public Engagement Strategy – NorthShore, 2013 – Prof. H. Klaebe, L. Thomas , B. McKelvey, E. Wilkinson,
2013.
Curatorial Advisor – Metro Arts, Brisbane
Peer advisor – Australian Council for the Arts.
Creative director for UTV
2012
Curatorial Advisor – Metro Arts, Brisbane
Consultancy – Translational Research Institute, Brisbane
Creative director for UTV
2011
Consultancy – State Library Queensland
Consultancy – 87 Art Zone Gold Coast
Curatorial Advisor – Metro Arts, Brisbane
Peer advisor – Australian Council for the Arts
2010
Consultancy – Art Mapping, Brisbane City Council
Peer Reviewer – Metro Arts, Brisbane
Peer advisor Australian Council for the Arts – Inter-Arts
Board Member – Flying Arts Inc
2009
Burnett Lane: Curatorial Rationale & Scoping Report – Thomas, Lubi, & Klaebe, Helen.
Board Member – Flying Arts Inc
2008
Board Member – Flying Arts Inc
2007
Transition in flow, Jon McCormack & Gold Coast Convention Centre
AWARDS
2014
QUT Engagement Innovation Grant – Off the Shelf – Thomas, Lubi & Leong Jacina
2013
QUT Engagement Innovation Grant – Cube Jam – Thomas, Lubi & Turner, Jane (aka truna)
2008
Vice – Chancellor’s Performance Award
2006
Award for Outstanding Contribution by Professional Staff – Certification of Commendation
More information can be found at:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lubithomas